Axle counter for mining and other vehicles



June 2. 1925. 1,540,019

A. G. KERSHAW ET AL AXLE COUNTER FOR MINING AND QTHER VEHICLES Filed Feb 16, 1924-- IQVENTORS:

, w. za f av Fatented June 2, 1925-.

UNITED STATES 1,540,019 PATENT oFi IcE.

ARTHUR e. KERSHAW AND FREDERICK J. RAYMER, on LoNnoN, ENGLAND, A

SIeNoRS, BY ME NE ASSIGNMENTS, TO UNION swrrcn & SIGNAL COMPANY, or swrssvALn, PELINSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

\ AXLE COUNTER FOR MINING AND OTHER VEHICLES.

Application filed February 16, 1924 Serial No. 693,401.

1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ARTHUR G. KnnsiiAw and'FnnnnnicK J. RAyMnn, subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at Kings Cross, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Axle Counters for Miningand Other Vehicles, of which the followingis a specification.

Our invention relates to axle counters for mining and other vehicles of the kind con1- prising a rotatable. wheel having a number of arms each adapted to be engaged in succession by the axle of a tub or truck passing over the counter, the wheel above referred to being thus rotated through a correspondingangle or are dependent upon the number of arms on the wheel.

Devices of this general character are now widely employed in collieries and the like for counting and controlling the passage of tubs or trucks, and our present invention has for its object to provide an improved construction of axle counter which shall be reliable and effective in operation.

The improved construction of axle counter comprises the usual polygonal element secured to the rotatable wheel for accurately defining the angular position of the wheel at each stage of its rotational movement and awording to our present invention the polygonal element is arranged to be resiliently engaged between two or more fingers so mounted as to oppose the rotational movement of the element.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings of which I Figure 1 is a view in sectional side elevation of a preferred construction of axle counter embodying one form of our invention.

Figure 2 being a View thereof in. sectional end elevation.

Referring now to the drawings the device shown therein is, as is usual, arranged in the trackway between the two track rails, and comprises a base or frame 1 in which is rotatably mounted an horizontal shaft or spindle 2. The latter carries rigidly secured thereto a star wheel 3 having a number of arms 4: corresponding to the number of axles which it is desired shall effect a complete revolution of the spindle, these arms, of which there are six in the example illustrated, being of such form as to be readily engaged by the axle of a tub or truck passing over the device. Rigidly secured to or formed integral with the star wheel 3 is an hexagonal element 5 also carried by the spindle 2, having a number of fiat sides corresponding to the number of arms of the star wheel 3. Each of the upper inclined flat sides of the element 5 is arranged to be engaged by a spring controlled pivotally mounted finger 6 the pivot of each of the fingers 6 being constituted by a semi-cylindrical projection 7 formed on an horizontal bracket 8 and each engaging with a corresponding transverse groove on the underside of the finger 6 adjacent to one end thereof. The flat opposite end of each finger 6 engages with one of the upper faces of the hexagonal element 5 and each finger is resiliently held in position on the bracket 8 by means of a bolt 9 passing loosely through an aperture in the middle portion of the finger 6 andthrough a corresponding aper ture in the bracket 8, a Suitable compression spring 10 being interposed between the head 11 of the bolt 9 and the underside of the bracket 8.

The central portion 12 of the upper horizontal face of the bracket is adapted to engage with the horizontal lower face of the hexagonal element 5 so that the latter is resiliently engaged between the two fingers 6 and the bracket 8. One end of the bracket 8 is pivotally mounted at 13 to the base or frame 1 of the counter so as to be capable of angular displacement about its pivot 13 in a vertical plane. 7

It will be evident that the bracket 8 and its associated fingers 6 accurately define the position of the spindle 2 and the star-wheel 3, and when the latter is rotated by the axle of a tub or truck passing over the counter the consequent rotation of the hexagonal ele ment 5 causes the fingers 6 to be pressed away from one another and. the bracket 8 to be angularly displaced downwards to a small extent against the action of the co1npression. springs 10 owing to the engagement of the corners of the element 5 with the fingers 6 and the face 12 of the bracket 8.

As soon as these corners are past the point of maximum displacement of the fingers 6 and the bracket 8 the Springs 10 will assist the further rotation of the hexagonal element 5 and the shaft or spindle,2,-on which it is mounted, until the star-wheel 3 assumes its next suceessiYe angular position as defined by the faces of the hexagonal element '5.

The constructional details above described may evidently be varied in many respects without exceeding the scope of our invention.

Having now particularly described and ascertainedthe nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, are declare that what we *olaim is:

An axle 'counter comprising a rotatable wheel provided with a polygonal element secured thereto for accurately "defining the angular position of the wheel at each stage of its rotational movement, a bracket pivotally mounted on the frame of "the device and having a portion arranged to engage said polygonal element, and a pair of lingers resiliently mounted on .said bracket and arranged to resiliently engage said polygonal element.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

ARTll-JUR Gr. K1) lSlalAW. FREDEIRI OK J. RAYh HJR. 

